{"id":10743,"date":"2020-04-15T11:35:15","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T15:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/undiscoveredmaine\/?page_id=10743"},"modified":"2025-11-11T16:21:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T21:21:24","slug":"getting-started","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/undiscoveredmaine\/small-business\/getting-started\/getting-started\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Started"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>All the information you need to know is out there; you just need to find it. The more comprehensive understanding you have of your business and industry, the higher your chances of success.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is a basic summary of the steps to take to get started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Find a Mentor<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Nobody knows the business world like someone who has real experience in it! We highly recommend you find someone whom you can rely on to provide you and your business with guidance. Here are two mentor programs that you can try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mced.biz\/about\">MCED<\/a> (Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development) is an organization with the sole mission of providing Maine entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to accelerate their businesses, including a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mced.biz\/mmn-mentors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Maine Mentor Network<\/a>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cWe pair strong mentors with high-potential entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are given access to a network of seasoned professionals with worldwide connections and deep industry knowledge to assist them in their growth.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\"><span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\"><span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.score.org\/about\">SCORE<\/a> is an organization that helps connect entrepreneurs with mentors across the United States.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\"><span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\"><span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.score.org\/maine\">SCORE Maine<\/a> offers more information on their dedicated mentorship programs and workshops for Maine start-ups.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Attend Training and Learning Workshops<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether it&#8217;s an online or live workshop, you can learn valuable skills you&#8217;ll need to tackle everyday business tasks or problems. From finance and marketing basics to industry-specific sessions on emerging trends, workshops are an excellent way to strengthen your knowledge, build new skills, expand your network, and spark new ideas! <strong>Here are some organizations that provide affordable and meaningful sessions:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/learning.sba.gov\/dashboard\">SBA Journey&#8217;s<\/a>: The SBA Learning Dashboard is a free, self-paced, online learning platform provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Explore the many &#8220;journey&#8221; resources they provide. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.score.org\/business-education?location_filter_options=&amp;nearby=16.09&amp;keywords=\">SCORE Small Business Education<\/a>: SCORE hosts both live and recorded webinars, and in-person and online workshops.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The filter tab on the right-hand side allows you to see workshops based on your location, industry, topic of interest, business stage, and whether you are looking for online or in-person training.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mainesbdc.org\/locations\/\">The Maine Small Business Development Center<\/a>: Maine SBDC hosts live webinars and on-demand eCourses at no cost. Maine&#8217;s SBDC has locations all across Maine! This link provides Maine&#8217;s locations and allows viewers to make an appointment for free, confidential advising.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mainesbdc.centerdynamics.com\/Events.aspx?&amp;days=120\">Maine SBDC Events\/Workshops<\/a>: This website gives live workshops and events.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sbdctraining.org\/\">Maine SBDC Online Learning Portal<\/a>: This website leads you to eCourses offered in English, French, and Somali!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Write a Business Model<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A business model will provide structure to your ideas and dictate how your business will be constructed. It provides a roadmap for how to run and grow your business. These plans will also help you secure funding from investors! The Small Business Administration provides some great tools on how to organize your business plan:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sba.gov\/business-guide\/plan-your-business\/write-your-business-plan\">SBA Write Your Business Plan<\/a>: This website gives more information about the importance of business plans and how to choose which model works best for your business.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sba.gov\/document\/support-rebeccas-business-plan-template-traditional\">SBA Rebecca&#8217;s Business Plan Template &#8211; Traditional<\/a>: This website gives an example of a traditional business plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Financing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Funding for small businesses can look different for everyone, depending on your business stage, financial need, willingness to share ownership, and willingness to take on debt. Whether through personal savings, loans, investors, grants, or crowdfunding, it is important to choose what is best for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sba.gov\/funding-programs\/loans\">SBA Loans<\/a>: The Small Business Administration provides resources to help match Small Businesses to lenders using its Lender-Match program. This website gives more information about the SBA&#8217;s loan resources and how you qualify for their program.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessnewsdaily.com\/1733-small-business-financing-options-.html\">Business News Daily<\/a>: This website offers alternatives to traditional bank loans.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Networking<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You know the saying, &#8220;Network, Network, Network.&#8221; Investing some time in networking will help. You can join your chamber of commerce and\/or an industry trade group. Attending in-person workshops is a great way to meet other small business owners in Maine! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/paysimple.com\/blog\/networking-the-cheapest-way-to-grow-your-small-business\/\">Pay Simple Networking<\/a>: This article provides information on the value of networking to small businesses with some interesting ideas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/portal\/business\/starting.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Maine.gov Starting a Business<\/a>: This article provides more helpful information expanding on these ideas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/undiscoveredmaine\/small-business\/getting-started\/pro-tips\/\">Pro Tips Page<\/a> for some more helpful information to help you get\u00a0started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/undiscoveredmaine\/small-business\/resources\/\">Back to Resources page<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All the information you need to know is out there; you just need to find it. The more comprehensive understanding you have of your business and industry, the higher your chances of success.\u00a0 Here is a basic summary of the steps to take to get started: Find a Mentor Nobody knows the business world like [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1583,"featured_media":0,"parent":5333,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/page-withsidebar.php","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10743","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Getting Started - Undiscovered Maine - University of Maine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you own a newly established small business in Maine and are confused about where to start? 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